Tue, March 31

Based in history and inspired by Alice Hoffman’s 2011 bestseller of the same name, this two-night event from Mark Burnett and Roma Downey recounts the story of Masada, a mountaintop fortress in the Israeli desert where 900 exiled Jews united against the Roman army in A.D. 70. Told from the perspective of a group of remarkable women who keep the doves necessary to fertilize the colony’s crops, "The Dovekeepers," says Downey, “is a love story in the face of this incredible tragedy. It’s profoundly moving, and it’s incredibly inspiring.”

A current case has ties to another one four decades old in the new episode "Patience." A petty officer's murder provides clues to an airport bombing that's gone unsolved for 40 years, and that Gibbs and DiNozzo (Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly) have been re-examining recently. As the probe intensifies again, McGee (Sean Murray) resents that he was left out of it earlier. A Martinez guest stars. David McCallum, Pauley Perrette and Emily Wickersham also star.

It's not dismissive to say the new episode "14 Chefs Compete" is cheesy, since the main ingredient the competitors have to use is ... guess what? Lasagna, calzones and enchiladas are included in the fare required by a team challenge, with the winners getting an ocean excursion. Probably needless to say, the losers get something quite different, heightening emotions as Gordon Ramsay oversees a dinner service later.